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Text Winter lasted an unnaturally long time, thanks in part to the North Wind gleefully spilling back and forth across Equestria, freezing and spreading snow all over the country. Luna didn't bother to rein the ice spirits in, letting them have their fun as long as they didn't attack any encampments... she had no problem with them drawing out the winter months, but did not wish to start any unnecessary skirmishes, either. New Equestria tried to make a push towards the southern reaches of Luna's territory, but even there winter had spread its icy claws, and the used-to-warmth soldiers found it difficult to push over the fields speckled with frost and snow as biting cold whipped past. The push was massive... but doomed to failure from the start with the troops so demoralized and terrified and made weak from the cold, and Celestia simply ordered their defenses reinforced before she sent out several squads of hardened soldiers to lock down two supply roads at choke points near their territory. It left the soldiers starving, without fuel for fires, without new clothes or ammunition, and Celestia had felt coldly-pleased with herself as the encampment of 'loyal' New Equestria soldiers cannibalized itself before the survivors dragged themselves across the field, pleading for mercy. Luna and Scrivener practiced strange compassion with the enemy troops when they surrendered, something that often bothered Celestia: first, the strongest and healthiest were singled out, and taken to be 'retrained' alongside other new recruits, where they would either learn to be loyal to the Kingdom of the Night, or die... if they were lucky. Secondly, those in moderate condition, or who were obviously conscripts or drafted ponies, were given the option to swear fealty to Luna, then be placed on work crews at their old homes, to help convert encampments and cities into places that would be more welcoming to the armies of the night. Luna didn't like forcing ponies to fight for her, but she also knew that every pony had to help her cause in some way. This seemed like the best option. Lastly, however, were the weak, the infirm, the dying, the sick: Luna seemed to take a dark pleasure in offering them a new life in exchange for their loyalty... and those who accepted, Luna had killed, then raised as undead minions for her army. She and Scrivener Blooms had both begin exploring darker arcane arts... and while Celestia disagreed morally, she had to agree with Luna's logic. As they claimed more territory, they needed more soldiers whose loyalty would not be questioned: her undead would provide all that and more. The Greater Nightmares, some of her demons, and resurrected Twilight Shadow were both able to raise the dead in various forms, as were the Moon Blessed... and Luna had also begun to consider training unicorns who were loyal to her not just in combat magic, but in darker arts as well. Some were very interested in the necromantic arts, after all... it would be a shame not to put their talents and curiosity to full use. When Luna and Scrivener returned from their 'diplomatic visits' across Equestria to Enstasis, Luna had been able to personally begin overseeing the training of the first class of necromancers. Working alongside demons, Greater Nightmares, and Twilight Shadow, they were able to share her darkest magics with dedicated unicorns, whose powers they often supplied with a few drops of blood from Scrivener Blooms. That alone was enough to drive the weaker mad, however, with visions of destruction and the Black Verses, and they had to be slain... while the stronger gained greater focus and enhanced strength. By spring, when the snow melted away to mud and grime and the cold was replaced by dreary rain and humid winds, New Equestria thought it could gain back the advantage... instead they were horrified when a battalion that had been marching to try and take control of thought-neutral territory had been attacked by hordes of grinning undead while Luna herself and Twilight Shadow had both stood and watched calmly and analytically from above. Flesh-eating ghouls, clawing and life-sucking wights, skeletons and undead knights still wielding weapon and shield had torn their way through the troops... and when they had tried to turn and flee, they had been met on the road by Scrivener Blooms in full glory, the Tyrant Wyrm wading into the battle with hunger and dark joy burning in his eyes. The unit had been completely annihilated: the few who survived the battle made a quick meal of by Scrivener... and in this case, he had not fed off their minds but devoured them almost greedily. The taste of metal and flesh crunching in his jaws had mixed with the delicious sensation of their emotions going wild with agony and horror, their pain his pleasure, and he had delighted in the feeling of gorging himself off both spirit and body. Luna had smiled lovingly, while Twilight had looked apprehensive until Scrivener had met her eyes, sharing the delicious emotions with the Lich, letting her feel what he felt, his reasoning, his hunger, his emotions filling her up and making her understand as she'd shivered in surprise and... bliss. It was war, and they were destroyers... and more and more, Twilight was believing what Luna and Scrivener said: there was no crime in enjoying their work, no matter how terrible it might seem... no matter how awful and dark it might be. They returned to New Equestria with their findings, and Celestia helped them analyze the data they came back with to break down the strengths and vulnerabilities of the various undead they could create. The whole plan had bothered her, but at the same time, she was pushing her concerns aside for them... and more than that, there was an undertone of dark interest despite herself. It was fascinating, after all: realms of magic that had always been forbidden to explore before now, the dark allure enhanced by the research they were doing and the ever-interesting puzzle of how to enhance the value of their military and strategy. New Equestria denounced Luna's new tactics, but even though some of the few remaining neutral territories listed towards New Equestria with these recent discoveries, at the same time, it created a ripple of terror that spread throughout the war-torn nation. Fear for what Luna was truly capable of, that further demoralized the New Equestrian soldiers, that made even Kvasir hesitate and Sleipnir disgusted... but at the same time, smile faintly as he sensed Luna's victory not far away. New Equestria began to gather its forces to prepare an attack against the only vulnerable location within their reach: Queensland, just above Central Equestria. There were several large supply hubs there, as well as a rail system that Luna was using to ship supplies through the nation. Troops had recently been shipped out before a cargo train had come in a little too fast to one of the loading stations and derailed itself, blocking up the shipping line and giving New Equestria a minor window of time where a large portion of Queensland would be undefended while reinforcements were forced to march in from other regions. New Equestria made its move with an enormous army of soldiers, determined to bring down the supply houses and destroy as much of the rail line as it could, and Celestia immediately called for reinforcements from around the nation... but unbeknownst to both sides, the furious dragons had decided to mount a revenge attack of their own. Feeling cheated because of Twilight Shadow's return despite her proclaimed 'death,' and after a long winter with little action for the enormous reptiles, they went against New Equestria's orders to stay back for now and instead assaulted Crystal Champagne's barony. The attack, a convergence of dozens of dragons coming from across Equestria, was unexpected, senseless, and razed an entire city to the ground; it was only through sheer fluke that they hit several storage warehouses as well as a transport yard, crippling their ability to feed their troops and move supplies and soldiers. The dragons had minimal casualties, but the distraction forced Celestia to split the reinforcements heading for Queensland up to help drive off the still-rampaging dragons. Worse, the attack on Queensland was successful: New Equestria leveled supply buildings, blew up miles of railway, and killed off several waves of Luna's soldiers before staging a tactical retreat. The two freak victories swelled morale and pride in New Equestria, left Kvasir stunned and even Sleipnir impressed... but also enraged Luna and Scrivener Blooms. Victory became horror as the news went out: Luna and Scrivener were taking to the field themselves in retaliation, their course taking them directly towards the battalion that had destroyed Queensland. New Equestria quickly sent out warning to them, and the soldiers eagerly dropped into hiding, the leaders of the group of over a hundred ponies and Nibelung high on the triumph they had already achieved and ready to immortalize themselves by killing the King and Queen of the Night and ending the war. Luna and Scrivener seemed to vanish instead of attacking, however, and the war leaders had scouts dispatched to search the area for any traces of them. Two scouts returned after only a few hours, reporting that they had found no traces so far, and the battalion commanders decided to set up camp for the night. They were overeager for battle, and it blinded them as the scouts that had returned smiled to each other and calmly waited for the encampment to quiet down that night... and then Luna and Scrivener shed their polymorphed forms as night deepened and darkened and soldiers around them slept. They started quiet, killing the sleeping soldiers one-by-one before Luna and Scrivener traded soft smiles and headed calmly out into the encampment. With all the attention focused outwards, they were able to kill a surprising number of soldiers before the alarm went up... but the siren was drowned shortly out by the terrifying roar of a Tyrant Wyrm before the Black Verses echoed through the night... They left one of the commanders alive, crying and insane among the corpses, still shrieking orders to his soldiers as if they could hear and obey him before the two had begun their return towards Enstasis. The terrors of what had happened were witnessed by Kvasir in a scrying glass, and he had cursed... then realized with repulsion that this could be an opportunity. It disgusted him, horrified him, but he recognized the route that Luna and Scrivener Blooms were taking, a mostly-abandoned stretch of road in the neutral, empty borders between New Equestria and Dark Kingdom territory... and the god had scurried off to find the one mare he knew would take this mission no matter what, loathing what he was doing and yet knowing this was their one chance... that one way or the other, this would decide several very important things. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story